Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Yellow and Green

The Wes Hoolahan situation

Recommended Posts

In my opinion, many of the frustrations about Chis Hughtons management style could have been improved, if not solved, by utilising Wes Hoolahan on a more consistent basis.

Now I am not a Hughton outer at all - I believe that that managers should be given plenty of time to grow a club and those that don''t ultimately get relegated.

However he is a frustrating manager for a number of reasons.

1. Playing style - I don''t think that CH''s formations are as bad as some make out, however our lack of goals and creativity in the final third was clear to see - even in pre-season. What we have missed is a creative player who connects the play and has the ability to make that killer ball to feed RVW and Hooper.

I understand that it is difficult to fit Wes into some systems - and he is, especially away from home, somewhat of a luxury player but I have been surprised to see him left out so much this season.

2. Lack of a plan B. After the Chelsea match, Mourinho said it as it is - "We knew how Norwich were going to play - get the ball to the wingers and get balls into the box".

Getting crosses in is a perfectly good way to create a good chance, however with one up front is easy to defend against - especially if your wingers are giving you more time by cutting in onto their stronger foot.

Again, Wes offers us a different option to any of our other players - the option to link midfield to attack and bring others into play. He also has the vision and ability to pick a through ball - something that doesn''t always work, but if it did then we would be quoting 15 million rather than 1.5.

3. Late substitutions. One of the most annoying things about CH. It is often clear to see that things need changing - mostly between half time and 60 minutes, however we usually have to wait until around the 70 minute mark to see a sub come on. Now I''m not saying that I think Wes should come on every game - I often think that we need to go 2 upfront. However, if we want to change a game (the way we play and giving the opposition something else to think about - ''mixing it up'', if you will) then who better than to bring on than Wes? It links in with my other point, but surely he is a perfect plan b or, dare I say, plan c.

To conclude, I have been amazed that Hoolahan has been so underused this season and, if he had featured more, Hughton would not be as hated as he currently seems to be.

If we sell him to Villa for £1.5 million, it would be a travesty. His worth to us is far more than his actual market value because we simply have no one else in our squad like it. Lambert himself said that creative players like Hoolahan are worth their weight in gold. Unless CH has someone else lined up, we should simple keep him at least until his contract runs out in 18 months time.

Until then, I hope that we see him given the chance to contribute more regularly in the first team. We have been crying out for CH to change some games with more attacking impetus and to give the opposition something else to think about and hopefully he will realise that Hoolahan still has a lot to offer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You could either be a) a relative of Wes or, b) Paul Lambert.

Already I am tiring of the "Wes Hoolahan situation" and actually feel it would be best for us all if he moved on and quickly.........   

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The chap is entitled to have his opinion, has a point and if he has upset you with his views on the Hoolahan situation then bad luck.

The clue was in the title.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ffs people. The OP has expressed a viewpoint in some detail that justify a post. Whether you agree with it or not is your perogative. Dismissing it as some above have is pointlessly rude.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Probably could have gone under all the other Wes Hoolahan Threads but still main thing is you''ve said your opinion and it''s spot on.

Hopefully Wes gets his place in the team and stays there soon, especially at home when the onus is on us to make things happen.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
... that I meant was that I think Wes could have made a massive contribution this season, if he had he''ve been given the opportunity.

He hasn''t and we''ve been left as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...